Look At Me!
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: HaseoxAtoli. Haseo is fighting the infected Atoli, when........
1. Look At Me!

Haseo snarled as Skeith clashed with Innis, their blades a blur of motion as they shot forward and back, slamming into each other again and again. "Atoli! Is this what really what you want?!" She screamed and slashed at him even harder. "I want you to look at me! No one ever looks at me! YOU NEVER LOOK AT ME! "

Haseo's eyes widened as the AIDA increased her strength, pushing him back. He roared in rage and slammed a fist into her gut. "IS THAT IT?! YOU WANT ME TO LOOK AT YOU?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE!" She faded away and reappeared at his side.

"YOU THINK I'M WEAK!" She smacked his scythe aside, and dug her blades into him, piercing his flesh. He didn't even try to block them, and she noticed. "Why... Why didn't you dodge it..." He looked up at her, his avatar staring at hers. "Atoli, you should have told me. I would've been there for you.

"LIAR! She screeched and dug the blades in deeper. He didn't resist again, he didn't even flinch. She released her blades and held her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth. "Why will no one look at me?. "WHY? WHY? WHY?!" Haseo yanked out the weapons and grabbed her wrists, trying to force the AIDA out of her through sheer will power. "Get out of Atoli you freakin virus!"

The AIDA refused to leave her and decided to engulf them both. Haseo spun in the darkness, and passed out ...

--

And woke up in a classroom. He put a clawed hand to his head and rose to his fee by grabbing a desk. "Ow, my head... What the hell just happened?" He shook his head and looked around the classroom, and was surprised to find Atoli sitting in the front row. He walked towards her, and she held her head in her hands, her voice filled with immeasurable sadness and loneliness. "I tried. I really tried hard, but it was never good enough."

Haseo took a step toward her. "Atoli...

She spun around, her eyes red and black, showing that she was fully possessed by AIDA. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She sreamed, and the desks crashed against the wall, one of them nailing Haseo diirectly in the head, leaving a nasty blood red bruise on his forehead.

Haseo flinched at the impact and looked away as a white flash light the area...

When he opened his eyes, Atoli was compleltey different. Her arms were black and her hans were clawed, and she was seemingly attached to the floor, AIDA covering the lower half of her body in wires and cords, while more wires connected her to the ceiling. Black wings extended from her midsection, and the poor girl looked miserable.

Haseo took another step forward, and whispered her name once more. "Atoli...

She screamed again, and covered herself with her arms, as AIDA hands lashed out at the adept rogue. He kept on walking forward, only moving his shoulder slightly to avoid being impaled, the spear samshing his right section of shoulder armor. Other than that, he kept on walking forward.

More AIDA spears lashed out as she sreamed at him again: "Everyone is the same! They lie, they say things to get what they want... THEN THEY STAB YOU IN THE BACK! THEY ALWAYS USE ME AND THEN TOSS ME ASIDE!" This time, the spears came crashing down from above, and the front.

The first struck his arm, then the rest hit their mark, but he did not fall, and he continued his march, still speaking to her. "Atoli, I've never used you, and I never will...

That made her even angrier. "YOU LIAR! YOU NEVER THINK OF HOW I FEEL!" The spears crashed upon him again, and this time he was knocked to the ground. But still he rose, even though he had mutliple pieces of armor missing now, he still pressed on. "You're right, I was being selfish. But no more. I swear, from now on, I'll always ask you how you feel about my actions...

She lashed out at him again, and this time her spears shoved him back"SHUT UP! I ALWAYS TRY SO HARD FOR YOU- He rose to his feet ant still staggered forward.

An AIDA spear lunged at him, but he leapt over this one. She shrieked again, her voice full of anger now. "BUT YOU SHUN ME! I CRY AND FEEL FOR YOU, BUT YOU SPIT IN MY FACE!" He kept going, and now he was only a few feet away.

The girl hesitated, seeing how much pain he was in, but then the AIDA swarmed around her again, and buried Haseo beneath the rubble. All was silent for a second, but then his hand shot out of the rubble, and he pulled himself out and still continued on, all of his armor gone now, and he was in clad in his regular outfit uner the armor.

She held her black clawed hands agaisn ther face and sobbed. "I've always been here! I've always beem here, but no one ever looks at me, no one else is here for me!" Haseo crossed the remaining distance and placed his hand against her tear soaked face.

"Atoli. I'm here." Her head snapped up and her clawed hand shot forward. "STOP LYING!!" Haseo coughed up blood as her her hand pierced his skin and cut into his stomach. She pulled her han dout and gasped, realizing what she had just done. Somehow, the rogue still walked forward and now he wrapped his arms around her in a soft embrace. "It's not a lie. I'm right here."

She closed her red eyes, and tears poured down her face. When she opened them, they were their usual yellow color. She wrapped her black hands around his back and squeezed him tightly. Her arms glowed, and AIDA literally peeled off them, as outisde, her avatar and Haseo's finally drove the virus off.

The wires, cords, wings, even the room faded away, leaving nothing but Haseo and Atoli, the two holding on to each other tightly. Atoli placed her head on Haseo's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her waist gently. "Haseo, I'm sorry she murmured.

Haseo raised her head with one hand and smiled. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I should've paid more attention to you and your feelings." She grinned and leaned up to kiss him, but she hesitated and he noticed, and gave her a warm smile. "It's alright Atoli. I wont push you away anymore, I promise."

And with that, she leaned in the restof the way. Their lips finally met for the first and certainly not the last, time. They broke the kiss and Haseo nuzzled his nose against her's, making her turn a shade of pale pink.

"Are you happy with this, Atoli?" Atoli nodded eagerly and chriped happily: "Yes! I am very happy Haseo! I was always happy to be near you... she took his hand in hers and nuzzled her head into his chest. "But now, I know that for the first time, I'm really, truly happy!"

He smiled as he leaned in for another kiss. "Good. Cause I'm gonna make sure that nothing ever makes you unhappy again." She smiled and then blushed as she leaned up into the kiss, and then pulled away. "H-Haseo. please don't get mad at me but I have to say this. I think... I think that I love you!"

She hung her head, waiting for him to get angry and shout, but he never did. She raised her head as she heard him speak softly, and saw the warm smile on his usually cold face. "Atoli, I... I KNOW now that I love you."

They smiled and rested their heads on each others shoulders. Then they returned...

--

Sakaki stamped his foot angrily as he saw Haseo and Atoli descend to the ground in each others arms. "Damn bitch. She was useless after- before he could finish his sentence, Skeith had his Data Drain aimed at him. "You shall not insult my user's beloved. Now I will delete your character, as well as prevent you from ever logging into the WORLD."

Before Sakaki could flee, the avatar fired it's Data Drain, and the blast engulfed Sakaki, deleting his character and forcing him out of the world. The last thing he saw was Atoli flipping him the bird and sticking out her tongue.

--

The Throne Room of Moon Tree thudded back into place, and Kuhn raised an eyebrow when he saw them holding hands. "It's about time you two." Haseo glared at him, while Atoli blushed a pale pink and rested her head on his shoulder. Kuhn looked around for Sakaki, but found no sign of him. "Where is-

Zelkova chose that moment to arrive. "Sakaki? He's been expelled from the WORLD." Kuhn nodded and sighed in relief as Hiiragi, Matsu, and all the others returned as well. "What a relief. Everyones' all right." He gestured to his fellow epitaph users and headed to the Chaos gate. "Come on. Let's go tell Yata what happened."

Haseo sighed. "Fine, let's go see the old geezer."

**Please review and tell me if I should continue this or not!**


	2. Sacrifice

Haseo opened the door to Raven and allowed Atoli thtough first. "After you, Atoli." She grinned and yanked him through the room, and Haseo marveled at her confidence. _'Its amazing at how sure of herself she's become.' _As the three of them. walked into the serpent of Lore, they saw Pi disentangle her arms from Yata's waist, and wave to Haseo, a wide grin on her usaully grim face.

Haseo laughed, but this time it wasn't a laugh of annoyance. Atoli smiled as she realized that he was genuinely happy for the Tribal grappler. He smiled warmly at the expression on their faces. "Congrats, Pi. You finally got a hold of him." Pi nodded ad kissed the man on the cheek. "Yes, but it wasn't easy, I can tell you that."

Kuhn shook his head in exasperation_. 'Jeez, is everyone hooking up today?_' Atoli finally spoke up now, and it grabbed everyone's attention. "Yata, we got rid of Sakaki. Haseo locked his data and he can never log in ever again." The glassess wearing man raised and eyebrow as Atoli took Haseo's hand and smiled.

"So, it would seem that Haseo has found his own special person." He was quite surprised when the 'Terror of Death' gave him a thumbs up and grinned. "You bet! And It took me WAY too long to notice." Atoli giggled and leaned up to kiss him.

Yata adjusted his glasess and spoke: "Good. That make one less problem. However, we still don't know how to exterminate AIDA. Just then Haseo received an email. _'What the? Ovan? Meet me at Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground?' _

He turned to the other epitaph users and explained the situation. Yata shook his head, his espression dead serious. "This sounds like a trap. Take Atoli and Kuhn with you." Haseo nodded and took Atoli's hand as the three of them set pff for the Chaos Gate.

--

Ovan looked up as he saw Haseo enter the cathedral with Kuhn and Atoli. He raised a blue eyebrow when he saw Atoli holding his hand. "Haseo, it would appear that you found a replacement for Shino." Atoli cringed at the remark, while Haseo spit in Ovan's direction, his voice dead serious. "What do you want?" He frowned when Ovan laughed as his lockbox began to glow.

"Haseo, let me show you. Let me show you who the REAL Tri-edge is!" The lock dropped to the floor, and Haseo's eyes widened in shock as he saw the AIDA arm. "Ovan?! What the heck is that?!" Ovan grinned as he pulled out his steam gun an drew his arms in. "Let me show you... HOW THOSE SIGNS ARE MADE!"

He shot forward, and Haseo shoved Atoli behind him. There was a flash of white, and then a thud. Haseo opened his eyes, and saw Kuhn, on his knees and holding his chest. "Kuhn! Are you alright?!" The man smiled sadly, and Haseo gasped as he glowed blue. "No...

"Haseo, take good care of her. Don't let her go." Kuhn stood up and glared at Ovan, his eyes ablaze with righteous anger as the glow dissipated. "So you were the one. You PK'ed Chiru! You monster! SHE WAS MY WIFE!" Ovan laughed insanely as AIDA swirled around him and he shot forward. "WHO CARES?! YOU'LL SOON JOIN HER!"

Kuhn smiled and shook his head. "No. I won't be going alone. I'm taking you down with me!" He grabbed Ovan's hands and struggled to keep him back. _'I'm sorry Haseo, but this is the only way to destroy him. Then he will never come after you again.'_

He turned to Haseo and Atoli, who were frozen with fear. "Both of you! Get out of here!" They shook themselves and took off for the exit, but Haseo turned around as he realized what Kuhn was planning "But you'll... Kuhn sighed and a tear fell from his left eye. "I know Haseo. But this is the only way. The only way to keep you and Atoli safe from him." Ovan hissed and struggled against Kuhn, but Kuhn smashed his head into the man's face pushing him back again.

"Haseo! Go! NOW!" With a last look at his best friend, the adept rogue took off after Atoli. Kun sighed in relief. "Good. Now I don't have to hold back." He clenched his fist and focused as a yellow glow surrounded him. "COME ON! MY... MAGUS!

Ovan snarled and blue marks appeared on his body. "Corbenik!" His own avatar appeared, and Magus shot forward, grabbing him in a death grip. Kuhn gave a bitter laugh as Ovan cursed and tried to break free."So you have an avatar too. It doesn't matter. You're still finished." Magus began to glow brightly and Corbenik struggled to break free, panic in his voice.

"Fool! You'll die with me!" Kuhn grinned as Magus glowed neon white and spoke for the last time. "I know. This is it Ovan. No more torturing Haseo, no more anything. This is the end for us." Ovan panicked and struggled despeartely.

Kuhn's blue eyes widened, and he released the energy. Ovan howled as the white dome of pure energy engulfed him, erasing his existence along with the AIDA that resided within him. With a scream of triumph, Kuhn dissapeared into the vortex...

--

Haseo and Atoli spun around as they saw the dome surround the cathedral and then heard a triumphant shout from Kuhn. "DIE OVAN!" Haseo's eyes watered as he saw his friend give his life to save his own. "NO... KUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!" He sobbed in anguish as he felt Kuhn's data be deleted.

Atoli took his hand and helped him to his feet, her eyes full of tears. "Haseo, you have to be strong. Kuhn gave his life for us. He wanted you to be happy. He didn't want us to cry." She stomped her foot when he didn't respond. "Come on! Be strong!" Tears watered in her eyes as he didn't move still.

"Please Haseo! I can't be strong if you're not!" The rogue finally moved and she smiled. "It will be alright. We can be together now." Haseo nodded numbly. "Right. Together." Atoli helped the anguished man to the Chaos gate as they mourned the loss of their good friend.


End file.
